Safety device for traveling cranes and the like



1,524,198 W. H. MORGAN SAFETY DEVICE FOR TRAVELING CRANES AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 17. 1924 n INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y6 Patented Jan. 27, 1925.

UN IEFTED T;E:S

WILLIAM ,n.MORG ,"or i nnmnon onro;essrenon 'ro rnnmoncen ENGINEER- INGC PAN'Y OF ALLIANCE, OHIO,AGOIRIPORATIONDF- OHIO.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR TB'AVEL'IN-G l-CRA'NES A-N D -LIKE.

Application-filed January 17, 1924.

To all whom it mcy concern.

Be itknown tlHLt'I TlVILI-JIAM H. MORGAN, a citizen of the-United States, and a resident of Alliance, county of. Stark, and State of .Ohio, have; invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for. Traveling Cranes andthe-like, of which the followingis, a specification, theprincip-le of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in. which I ;have, contemplated applying that principle, so as .to distinguish it from other inventions.

My present improvements, relating, as indicated, to safety devices for traveling cranes, have,more particular regard to the provisionof means for preventing the accidental dropping .of therliftingutackle:carried by suchcranes due to thebreaking ofthe cableby meansof which thetackle inquestion is attached to .the winding ,drunror drurnson the crane. Such breaking'of the able is ordinarily due to the imposition. of strain thereon by pulling the tackle up against the crane through failure on the 1 part ofthcloperator properly to controlthe winding in of thecable;.but whethen due to this or other cause, thebreak in the cable is most apt to occur where it iswlooped around the so-called equalizing sheave.

I propose accordingly toprovide suitable means whereby even though the cable: may be thus accident-ally broken, the lifting tackle will nevertheless be preventedfrom falling and thus not'only causing serious damage but endangering the lives-of the workmen below.

To the accomplishment; of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the meansv hereinafter fullydescribed and particularypointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following description settingforth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but one of various mechanical forms in which the principle oftheinvention may be used.

In said annexed drawing Fig. 1 isan. end view,- niore or less diagrammatic in character, of a typical traveling crane with lifting tackle carried thereby and having incorporated in the latter my present improved safety device; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

As indicated, the crane itself is illu- Serial. No. 686,758.

strated .in diagrammatic fashion, the parts .shown including :the rails 1 orequiva-lent supports-upon whiclrthetrolley 2 travels .and the winding drum 3 u 'ith cable. 4t for iaising and lowering. the lifting tacklefi.

.The supports 1 mayeither ;be the main girders in the case of a simpletypecrane, with the trolley 2 arrangedtotravel di rectly on such girders, orsaid supportsinay ,be parts of the bridge of a crane .which ist in turn -mounted on suitablcrailsor fixed supports, in the case of a craneof the. type in, which such bridge -1S arranged-to move lengthwise of. the shop room, .while the an equalizer sheave 8, suitably mounted'in thetrolleyfi, down-around the other sheave 7, and finally up and back again onto the winding,drum.

It will be understood that the particular construction of the winding drun'r and inetbod of winding up the cable forms no .partof thepresent, invention ahowever, both .portions of. the cable are intended to be a wound up or unwound siinultaneouslv, the

only function of sheave 8 being tot-axe care of any slight stretchingof the respective cable portions orinequality in the rates of winding or unwinding thereof. In other words, ,there is only a relatively slight move mentiof the'loop in thecable'which passes around. said sheave S.

The-safety device of present interest comprises a transversebar or plate 10 pivotally hung by'n'ieans of integral arms 11 from the same 'pinQS" that forms the axis of sheave 8,.one such arm lying on each side of the sheave,,as, shown in Fig. 2. Said bar or plate IQJis provided near'its'respective ends with apertures 12 through whichthe corresponding portions of cable at normally freely pass. However, each such portion has firmly secured thereto, at a point approximately midway between the sheave and such plate or bar, a stop 13, of general annular form, that is too large in diameter to pass through the corresponding opening 12. Where, as is usual, the cable is composed of wire strands, the enlargement 13 will preferably consist of a ring of suitable metal directly cast onto the portions of the cable in question.

Due to the fact that the looped portion of the cable that passes over equalizer sheave 8 is constantlybent more sharply than is the case at any other point in the cable and furthermore due to the fact that such portion carries at all times the full strain due to the weight of the lifting tackle and the load carried thereby, it is at this point, according to my observation, that such cable almost invariably breaks. Upon such break occuring Where my improved safety device is incorporated, as just described, the stops Will simply drop into engagement with the cross bar 10 and the dropping of the tackle 5 is thus positively prevented.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the follow ing claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. The combination of lifting tackle; means for raising and lowering said tackle including a pair of sheaves therein, a relatively fixed equalizer sheave near the upper end of the path of travel of said tackle, a cable passing around said sheaves, and a winding drum for said cable; and means adapted to limit movement of the respective portions of saidcable that pass around said equalizer sheave away from the latter.

2. The combination of lifting tackle; means for raising and lowering said tackle including a pair of sheaves therein, a relatidely fixed equalizer sheave near the upper end of the path of travel of said tackle, a cable passing around said sheaves, and a winding drum for said cable; a plate disposed in fixed relation to said equalizer sheave and extending laterally adjacent to the respective portions of said cable that pass around said sheave; and a stop on each such cable-portion adapted to be engaged by said plate, whereby movement of such cable portions away from said sheave is limited.

3. The combination of lifting tackle; means for raising and lowering said tackle including a pair of sheaves therein, a relatively fixed equalizer sheave near the upper end of the path of travel of said tackle, a

cable passing around said sheaves, and a winding drum for said cable; a plate disposed 1n fixed relation to said equalizer sheave having apertures freely permitting normal movement therethrough of the respective portions of said cable that pass around said sheave; and a stop on each such cable-portion adapted to be engaged by said plate, whereby movement of such cable-portions away from said sheave is limited.

4. In a crane of the type described, the combination with the traveling member of said crane; of lifting tackle; means for raising and lowering said tackle including a pair of sheaves therein, an equalizer sheave attached to said traveling member, a cable passing around said sheaves, and a winding drum for said cable carried by said traveling member; and means adapted to limit movement of the respective portions of said table that pass around said equalizer sheave away from the latter.

5. In a crane of the type described, the con'ibination with the traveling member of said crane; of lifting tackle; means for raising and lowering said tackle including a pair of sheaves therein, an equalizer sheave attached to said traveling member, a. cable passing around said sheaves, and a winding drum for said cable carried by said traveling member; a plate supported from said memher in a fixed relation to said equalizer sheave and extending laterally adjacent to the respective portions of said cable that pass around said sheave; and a stop on each such cable-portion adapted to be engaged by said plate, whereby movement of such cable-portions away from said sheave is limited.

6. In a crane of the type described, the combination with the traveling member of said crane; of lifting tackle; means for raising and lowering said tackle including a pair of sheaves therein, an equalizer sheave attached to said traveling member, a cable passing around said sheaves, and a winding drum for said cable carried by said traveling member; a plate supported from said member in fixed relation to said equalizer sheave having apertures freely permitting normal movement therethrmigh of the respective portions of said cable that pass around said sheave; and a stop in each such cable-portion adapted to be engaged by said plate, whereby movement of such cable-portions away from said sheave is limited.

Signed by me, this 14th day of January.

4 WILLIAM H. MORGAN. 

